Bruce Leonard

After weeks of bad weather in New England, I finally launched my CS 20 for the first time this season. After checking all my gear, everthing seemed to work fine. The CS 20 is a great sailboat. Even in this mornings light air conditions, I was really moving. And the boat accelerates so nicely in the puffs. As I appoached the dock, four guys were launching a Rhodes !9 (keel version) from a trailer. Working alone, I was out of the water, sails folded, masts stowed and on my way before they got into the water. Another Rhodes 19 sailer mentioned to me earlier as I was launching that he sees me sailing out of Bullock Cove often. After 15 minutes of telling him about the boat, I finally pushed off. This boat attracts attention wherever I go. It's a great time for sailing!

Merry Christmas Graham! After the the winter solstice, I start thinking of spring, of my Core Sound 20 sliding easily off the trailer and of flying out of Bullock Cove leaving all my worries behind. I have truly enjoyed this wonderful boat and being a part of this great web community. Merry Christmas to all! Bruce Leonard

I hope Ray Frechette sees this subject. Ray, a Maine Boatbuilder, built my CS 20 #51. He did a wonderful job on the boat overall but especially the coamings. It took a lot of trial and error to get it just right. My coaming are higher at the front of the cockpit. I remember joking with Ray at the time that he should "bottle" his solution and sell it. Chime in Ray!

I sail my CS 20 #51 singlehanded most of the time. In fact I've had crew on board only 5 or six times. If overpowered, I have learned to feather the main up wind in a breeze to keep her on her feet. Sailing off the wind singlehanded makes it all worth it. The boat planes so easily and is so fast. We have some serious wind here on Narragansett bay most of the time. In sailing my CS 20, I've learned to shorten sail early. When I see white caps or heavy gusts, I immediately take a reef, often before leaving the ramp. The CS 20 sails extremely well with reduced sail. Well balanced and fast. It's a lot more fun to sail under control. The sail tracks we installed make reefing fast and easy.

Jeff, Heaving to in the CS 20 is easy. Release the main sheet. Trim in your mizzen and let the tiller go. The boat will head up into the wind. Whenever you stop to adjust something forward, or for a sandwich, whatever, it's that easy. This is one of the real plusses of having a mizzen. When I reef, I reef the mizzen first and trim it close to the centerline. Makes it easier to reef the main.

Jeff, Your new boat looks really great. When you and I sailed my CS 20 a year ago, you were just starting. That day there was no wind. Now you know what this boat can do! It's great to have another CS 20 sailing in Narragansett Bay. Let's connect sometime soon to launch our boats out of Bristol or Riverside. Bruce Leonard

Brent, Coming from Rhode Island, this is a long ride for me. But I would definitely be interested in joining other Core Sound sailors on lake Superior.

Jeff, My bailer is located as per Graham's plan. From my experience, the bailer is in a good location. You can easily reach and open/close the bailer from the helm and you are unlikely to inadvertently step on it. Bailers bend when you step on them. Generally you are using your bailer when you are planning or when there is a lot of chop. Being able to operate it without leaving the helm is key. Sounds like your well along on the boat. I'm looking forward to the day when 2 Core Sound 20s can plane out of Bullochs Cove in in "formation".

My 29 year old son, Ethan, joined me for a late morning sail Saturday. It was blowing 12 to18 knots with some serious gusts. Only a few boats were in view, most flying just jibs or reefed mains. We sailed out of Bullochs Cove (Narragansett Bay) with a North wind behing us. As we broke free from the narrow passage at the entrance to the cove, the wind came up, lifting My Core Sound 20 onto a sustaining screaming plane. We literally burst onto that plane and were accross the Bay in no time. I've sailed Thistles and Lightnings, but never as fast as this. We were really moving1 My son was shaking his head and saying "wow" as he watched the wake and the spray over the bow. The CS20 is fast in all conditions, but it sure loves a good breeze. Graham has designed a fast boat. Real fast! Love those morning sails.

I've capsized Lightnings and Thistles a few times. It happened once while sailing my Thistle solo in Narragansett Bay. The Thistle is a 17 ft. planning centerboard dinghy that has too much sail area (175 sq. ft. and is completely open. Even the bow is without decking. It weighs about 450 pounds. When I flipped it, I was able to get on the centerboard pretty quickly. This is the best way, I think, to keep the boat from turning turtle. I then got the boat pointed into the wind and up she came, only to capsize again in the opposite direction because of the tremendous volume of water already in the boat. By the time I got the boat up again and bailed (the Thistle has no decking), I was exhausted. It's important to keep your cool, use your enegy wisely and get on that cnterboard ! I have a CS 20 in RI not far from my friend to the North who wants to conduct the test. Maybe we can collaborate on this.

Graham, A few questions regarding sails for the CS 20: How much sail area does the staysail add? Regarding the storm trisail, how big is it and how, where is it rigged and hoisted?

My CS20 and trailer weigh about 900 lbs. It trails easily behind a 1998 Volkswagen Jetta TDI (diesel) with 120HP and 250,000 miles on it. This Jetta with standard not automatic transmission has been up and down a number of ramps without a problem except those I cause.

I've sailed my CS 20 maybe 25 times since it was build for me last summer by Ray Frechette in Maine. My boat has mast tracks . I've come to appreciate these since I often reef when sailing singlehanded on Narragansett Bay. It takes 30 seconds to thread the sails on to the tracks, so I can't understand why so many people think this is difficult or time consuming. And when you wamt to douse the main quickly, there's no better way. In order to do needed sail adjustments underway, I highly recommend leading the downhaul and sprit adjustment aft. It makes the boat a lot easier to sail well in most conditions. I'm not so convinced the main should be led aft. The main halyard can easily get fouled going through a block, a bullet and a cleat (as Graham lays it out). I'm considering cleating my main further forward with less hardware. I love my CS 20! Good Sailing!

I have a piece of stainless half round (hollow) on my recently launched CS20. Launching off busy concrete ramps as I often do, it is comforting to have that extra protection. The half round on my boat is instaled as Graham describes it. I did not use it on the chines.

I sail a Core Sound 20( #510) in Narragansett Bay and am a strong believer in the sail track and reefing setup as specified by Graham on this forum. I step the masts, thread my sails and set up the sprits in about 20 minutes. I always rig on my trailer. The sail tracks don't add much time and they add flexibility, options and safety that I would not be without in coastal waters or big lakes. The easy reefing capability makes it possible for me to sail singlhanded in 10-20 knot breezes. When it looks like I will be overpowered wity full sail, I reef at the ramp and go sailing. I also like to be able to easlily lower the sails alltogether in an emergency. My sailing if typically in 5 to 20 knots often with heavy duty gusts. As an experienced sailer of centerboard boats such as Lightnings and Thistles, I would not feel secure or smart without the sail track setup, even with able crew to assist me. It's definitely worth the small additional cost and 3 minutes of additonal set up time. By the way except in a life or death emergency, I would consider using the third mast step on my CS 20 only if I set up the boat that way at the ramp. Love this boat!

For any one interested in having one of the B&B boats built in New England, I was extremely pleased with the CS 20 that Ray Frechette built for me. For the past 5 weeks I've been sailing (mostly singlehanded) my new boat a couple of times a week in Narragansett Bay. I really like how this boat sails. It's responsive, fast and a lot easier to rig and launch from a trailer than I thought. Sailing a self tacking boat is a pleasure. I don't know why we don't see more boats with the cat/ketch rig. Ray is in Lewiston, Maine (207-786-6998). Bruce Leonard

Sorry to hear of your mast problem, Robb. Last week I had a problem with my recenly launched CS20 #51. I was singlehanding in Narragansett Bay., Rhode Island, in 10- 15 knots breeze out of the West. Here, West winds coming over land are unpredictable and gusty. I was just chasing other boats reaching (on a plane) when I could . I headed up to tack when a strong gust hit me. If I had been paying closer attention I would have seen the gust on the water. It laid me way over on my side/knocked me down. I tried to bear off, but should have realized that the rudder was already out of the water. As I was about to go for an unscheduled swim, I finally followed Graham's advice and released the main sheet. The boat popped back up and off I went. I was pleased with the way the boat behaved in this situation. As the boat laid over on its side, the mast bent and spilled wind. In the future, when overpowered, I will release that mainsheet. I like my CS 20. The boat goes!

My CS 20, launched just this week, does not have the aft deck. I like the openness and extra space-- especially for a chart, camera , binocular and lunch. I also like to be able to easily get at my rudder. If you have ever hung up your rudder on a mooring line or lobster trap , you will know what I mean. In my case, this was an easy decision, made even easier by the fact that, to my eye, the boat looks better without the rear deck.

I just this week launched a Core Sound 20. The boat was built for me by Ray Frechette in Lewiston Maine. I highly recommend Ray if you don't have the time or skill. I have sailed and occasionally raced many boats including a Thistle, Laser, Lightning , J-20, Bulleye, and most recently a Wayfarer-- all out of Bristol RI, ( Narragansett Bay). I liked all of these boats for diferent reasons. As a fit 62 year old guy who loves to singlehand, the Core Sound 20 is the right boat for me. It is a fast stable day sailor/beach boat. The boat sails upwing in good form, but it's off the wind that the Core Sound 20 really excels. When it gets up on a plane--which it does easily in 12 knots of wind-- it really moves! The cat/ketch rig is much easier for me to sail singlehanded than previous boats. It is a forgiving stable boat not a tender dinghy that produces stress. I love the sprits. The designers description of how well this boat performs and handles is very accurate. I chose the 20 footer because I wanted a fast boat that had the big boat feel that the CS 20 definitely has. And I wanted a boat that could be sailed in Casco Bay in Maine , even offshore. My boat has a reefing capability. It is also a pretty boat that has nice lines. Graham has good taste in boats, in my opinon. Although I was a bit woried about stepping the masts on my own, I have found it not to be a problem. I imagine every owner develops an approach to stepping the masts that works for him. I can step the masts. set up the sprits and put on the sails in about 20 minutes or so. I easilty trail the boat behind a 1998 4 cylinder Jetta Diesel that has 217,000 on it. The boat with trailer is about 900 lbs. I have had not problem launching and retrieving the CS 20 without assistance. I am, however, going to install some slides on the bunks to make it easier to push the boat off the trailer and into the water when the tide is lower. If the wind is screaming and coming from a difficult direction , retrieving any boat without assistance, regardless of length, can be an adventure. I try not to sail on those days. Of course, if you have a crew, You don't have to take this into account. I have never owned a boat that attracted so much attention. In a week, 5 people have come up to me while I'm rigging, to complement me on the boat. I like my Core Sound 20! Bruce Leonard

Brent, I really enjoy reading your posts and seeing your pictures. My CS 20, with a little luck will be ready in June. Ray Frechette is building it for me in Lewiston maine. I tend to identify with your posts because we have sailed similar boats in the past. You seem to put a lot of emphasis on sailing qualities and speed as I do. Question: In terms of your rigging , ie. choice and placement of hardware in/on the boat and the masts, sprits, would you do anything differently? I am a close to starting to install hardware and am looking for input. Happy sailing!

I would like to learn more about the sailing performance of the Core Sound 20 from those who have or are sailing the boat. For example, how does the Core Sound 20 perform/behave on various points of sail, ie. running, reaching, close hauled. Performance in light air, medium, heavy. Stability? Trailability? How is the boat to rig, launch and retrieve. I have sailed Thistles, Lightinings and other dinghys. I mainly sail single handed. I am looking for a fast boat that I can manage alone in most conditions. I sail on Narragansett bay and hope to do some coastal sailing between newport and Connecticut as well. I would appreciate all input.